Candidate says she learned from "92 rape

Allentown

Siobhan "Sam" Bennett says the rape she endured nine years ago in her former home in Allentown's West End was not what motivated her to run for mayor.

But, Bennett said, it does give her a greater understanding of what it means to be a crime victim and why fighting crime is such an important issue in the campaign.

"I understand now what it's like to be on the other side and that understanding is a wonderful gift," she said. "Do I want anyone to ever go through what I went through? No. Don't get me wrong. But it is an experience that becomes part of who I am. It means I can be there for others."

Bennett, who is seeking the Democratic nomination May 15, raised the issue in her campaign kickoff speech in January, disclosing that she had been the victim of a violent crime. In a subsequent interview, Bennett said, "I was assaulted."

She declined then to say what happened. But in a recent interview, Bennett confirmed she had been raped. The interview was conducted at her storefront campaign headquarters on Ninth Street with Bob Wolper, one of her campaign managers, observing.

The police incident report says it took place between 2 and 3:33 a.m., March 10, 1992, at Bennett's former home in the 2300 block of Livingston Street. The occupant of that home reported a rape, and the information was forwarded to the police detective division for investigation, the report said. No arrest ever was made.

In the interview, Bennett said she awoke at 3 a.m. to find a strange man, his face covered, standing at the foot of her bed. Her youngest daughter, then 5, was curled up and concealed under the covers.

Bennett declined to discuss the details of the attack, except to say her priority was getting the man out of her house as quickly as possible.

"I said, " I have two little girls in this house. You don't want to be the guy who ruins their life forever. Leave now. Go,"' Bennett said. "I must have said that to him 100 times."

Once the attacker left the house, Bennett said, she discovered that her telephone did not work. She locked her daughters in a room and ran to a neighbor's house. She had a neighbor go to her house to get her daughters and police were called.

It was one of two rapes police reported in the West End neighborhood that year. Another woman who lived several blocks away was raped in her home on July 14, 1992. The man used a hidden key to unlock a back door to the home, police said.

"It was a long time before I could sleep without all the lights being on in the house and the phone right next to me, doors locked, furniture pushed up against the door," Bennett said.

She bought a home security system.

Although it bothers her that her attacker never was caught, she said, she is neither afraid nor looking over her shoulder. She said she went through all the stages of grief and is now at the point of acceptance.

"He may very well try this again," she said. "And you know what? I can't change that."

Instead, she said, she prefers to help others. Bennett said she occasionally counsels others who have suffered violent crime.

"Here I am presenting myself as a potential leadership candidate who understands this issue more than anyone else."